The present invention relates to an improvement of a slide door locking device for vehicles during feeding fuel to a fuel tank positioned near a slide door.
In a vehicle having a slide door in its side and a fuel supply inlet within the limits of its movement, when the slide door is opened by mistake or oversight during feeding of fuel to a fuel tank, a fuel lid opened and a fuel supply gun are damaged or broken, and further the fuel supply gun comes off the fuel supply inlet, with the result that the fuel is spilt over.
In order to remove this defect, special door lock means for locking the slide door during feeding of the fuel to a fuel tank, have been proposed. One example of the conventional door lock means is shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, inside a slide door 1 a pivot bar 4 having a hook end 4a and the other end 4b projecting beyond an end surface 1a of the slide door 1, is pivotally mounted, and the hook end 4a engages with a pivot arm 3 which is pivotally connected to a rod 2 coupled to a lock body (not shown).
On the other hand, inside a body 5 of the vehicle an actuating lever 9 which is pivoted by the open-close movement of a fuel lid 7 for convering a fuel supply inlet 6 of a fuel tank via an open stopper 8, is provided. One end 9a of the actuating lever 9 is so projected beyond a door butting surface 5a of the body 5, corresponding to the other end 4b of the pivot bar 4, that the one end 9a of the actuating lever 9 may engage with the other end 4b of the pivot bar 4 when the fuel lid 7 is opened, thereby locking the door lock means. The slide door 1 is opened in a direction shown by an arrow X.
However, in this embodiment, when the fuel lid 7 is opened, the door lock can be never unlocked. Accordingly, persons in the vehicle can not get out quickly even in case of emergency. Further, such a conventional door lock means is composed of a lot of elements and is constructed in many steps, which means high cost and larger weight.